1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shielding materials and, more specifically, to a modular shielding material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is widely employed in medical imaging to show the internal structure of the human body. MRI employs a powerful magnetic field to align the nuclear magnetization of hydrogen atoms in bodily fluids including water. Once aligned, radio frequency fields alter the alignment of this magnetization, which causes the nuclei in the bodily fluids to produce rotating magnetic fields detectable by a scanner. A computer uses the information sensed by the scanner to generate an image of the body portion of interest.
The powerful magnetic field required to operate an MRI system can interfere with nearby pieces of electronic equipment. Given that MRI systems are used in hospital systems that employ many other pieces of critical electronic equipment, proper electromagnetic shielding of any room housing MRI equipment is necessary to protect such other pieces of electronic equipment.
Typically, shielding of an MRI room involves first attaching a static electricity barrier (such as fiberglass sheeting, tar paper, or rubber sheet material) to the walls, ceiling and floor of the room. This static electricity barrier acts as an insulator to prevent static charge induced by the MRI system from leaving the room. Next, sheets of a conductive material (such as copper) are applied to the static electricity barrier, soldered together and then grounded. Flooring, wall material and ceiling materials are then placed inside of the conductive material.
This method is labor intensive and can result in substantial waste, since the conductive material is cut independently from the static electricity barrier. Also, fitting and attaching these materials independently can waste a considerable amount of time.
Therefore, there is a need for a shielding material and system for applying the shielding material that reduces the waste associated with the existing methods and that reduces the amount of time necessary to install the shielding materials.